Tuesday, 3 April 2007

The Climate Change blame game

The Globe and Mail ran the article from AP science writer Seth Borenstein Climate change map shows 'highway to extinction' in its 31/3 issue, which begins:
WASHINGTON — A key element of the second major report on climate change being released Friday in Belgium is a chart that maps out the effects of global warming with every degree of temperature rise, most of them bad. There's one bright spot: A minimal heat rise means more food production in northern regions of the world. However, the number of species going extinct rises with the heat, as does the number of people who may starve, or face water shortages, or floods, according to the projections in the draft report obtained by The Associated Press Some scientists are calling this degree-by-degree projection a “highway to extinction.”
The article has elicited quite a few hundred comments, many of which are from people clearly swimming at the shallow end of the intellectual capability pool who are in agreement with what the article says. I thought it might be fun to highlight a few to see who's copping the blame.
JD Wood from Toronto, Canada writes: This is frightening. Well, I suppose that those conservatives who deny global warming never believed that anything evolved in the first place, so they couldn't really care about extinction. God will wave his magic wand and populate the earth!!
OK. So it's the conservatives who are at fault. That must be because the Left is so green, so clean and so power-using mean that they can point fingers. What? Al Gore is no climate saint? Really? And John Travolta tells us to do what we can while having his own private air fleet? I like the bizarre logic - man is destroying the planet but that's OK because God will wave his magic wand and populate the earth. Why then would God not wave his magic wand and cure global warming thus saving himself the trouble of having to repopulate? Surely it's an easier task?
norman fields from castlegar. b.c., Canada writes: Yes, the rich industrialists can be that stupid. Exon offers thousands of dollars for those who can refute the PPWC reports - is that not stupid? The eastern industrialists are responsible for the polluted cloud that causes a long drought in Africa and have not cleaned up to help Africa - is that not stupid? Industry must clean up or drown if they are situated on any coastline. This is wonderful and sad at the same time. Industry needs to clean up yesterday because what is in the atmosphere now will last long enough for climate change to do what scientests say it will do at the various temperatures unless action is not taken immediately. No action then is so very very stupid.
Rich industrialists are now to blame, especially Exxon for offering money to those that can refute the PPWC (?) reports. Clearly the spelling-challenged Norman hasn't done a lot of research into the truth behind his claim. For the Left, truth is a secondary priority. Industrialists are also to blame for the drought in Africa. El Nino has gotta be happy with that.
Luke Ellis from Sudbury, Canada writes: Though it pains me to say, and I wish it were not true, as a species we are THAT stupid.
It's mankind! I'm assuming that the people who are THAT stupid Luke refers to are actually the Climate Fascists trying to wreck the West's economies.
N. C. from Canada writes: The words of those like Walker N. and GlynnMohr are illustrative of the real dark side of humanity. They are protesting positive change because the path of least resistance is most comfortable for them. I don't care if the scientists projections are accurate or not. I don't care if the earth and sun's variability are ONE of many factors that could be cited by petulant yuppies reluctant to admit that their SUV's are also part of the problem. Pollution and reckless consumption produce detrimental effects any way you slice things, and are not efficient or necessary. It's just cheaper and easier to continue doing what we've always done. Sure lots of species come and go over the MILLENIA, Walker N.....but how many have disappeared in a couple of centuries because of us? We are by and large the most repugnant and harmful feature of this planet, not because we are stupid, but SELFISH, and LAZY. And that is why we will destroy all we should be preserving for all our children - because we can't be bothered to do otherwise.
And now it's stupid, SELFISH and LAZY people! Sounds like he's talking about Arts Faculty Professors and supposed European Intellectuals.
paul rankin from writes: LOOK...............until the charter which created corporations is modified so that profit is not the ONLY thing that matters.......nothing will change!! Corporations are already looking to profit, pushing to place a value on water/air/good soil...., from the sale of drinkable water.....Do you honestly think that they want environmental laws enacted? Wacth the docemetary 'The Corporation' and you will see how we have already lost the fight! See above.
And now it's the corporations. Looks like the business community is at fault again. Imagine how dim you have to be to quote the 'documentary' The Corporation. It would be like quoting anything from serial fact-avoider Michael Moore.
John Silverman from Canada writes: What is the political motivation for having over 2000 scientists and representatives from 120 countries lie to the whole world about global warming? What do they have to gain? What does ANYONE have to gain by lying? Nothing. It's simply selfish people out there who don't want to believe b/c they're worried it'll cost them a few more bucks. Shame on you.
There's those selfish people again, going and living the good life and causing a whole bunch of climate trouble. What do 2000 mostly dud scientists have to gain from sucking at the public teat for the billions of dollars being spent on non-peer reviewed pseudo-science? Beats me, John.
Cmdr. Chaos from Vancouver, Canada writes: We can be that stupid. We have been up until now and history dictates that history repeats itself. Urgo Sum: we are that stupid.
Urgo Sum, I rest my case.

And what does it take to convince the true believers that they might be a little bit off track? Clearly not anything like a few unseasonal flakes of snow...

3 comments:

Wizzard of Aus said...

It's not about blame, according to the news. It's about superior morality - in todays news:

(http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=159913)

We are instructed by that paragon of human morality and indubitable leader of the world, Stavros Dimas (actually a jumped up bureaucrat) that the only reason John Howard (and thus Australia) won't sign the Kyoto Protocol is "Political Pride".

It couldn't have anything to do with the fact it is just another useless waste of taxpayer money and the science underlying it is dubious at best.

I've mentioned on other Ausblogs that I'm a teacher, and one of the few I know who puts effort into assessing the factual basis of GW. Most teachers I know take it as gospel and won't even discuss with their classes the possible failures of the "theory" of global warming.

With the unending storm of "Global waming is a fact", "scientific consensus", and "Big Oil" accusations that swamp the "news" and entertainment media, I worry a great deal that today's students will never experience a coherent criticism of the weaknesses of global warming. Has anyone surfing the web found a source appropriate for young teenagers that presents some of the criticism of the GW alarmism in a comprehensible, low science format? Something like a brochure or pamphlet that could be used to broach the topic or provide some key points?

Anonymous said...

"With the unending storm of "Global waming is a fact", "scientific consensus", and "Big Oil" accusations that swamp the "news" and entertainment media, I worry a great deal that today's students will never experience a coherent criticism of the weaknesses of global warming. Has anyone surfing the web found a source appropriate for young teenagers that presents some of the criticism of the GW alarmism in a comprehensible, low science format? Something like a brochure or pamphlet that could be used to broach the topic or provide some key points?"

The best teacher I ever had, and I intensely disliked this teacher personally, taught us seventh graders how to study, how to research, how to analyze, and how to make conclusions. Basically, this teacher taught us how to learn difficult material quickly ON OUR OWN.

Instead of giving your students a brochure, why not teach them how to find the facts for themselves and draw their own conclusions?

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